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Pulitzer Prize-winning writer to discuss agricultural water pollution issues

Pulitzer prize-winning editorial writer Art Cullen will visit Sioux Falls on Thursday September 13^th to describe issues related to water pollution caused by farming.

Cullen, co-owner of the Storm Lake (Iowa) Times, has written extensively about nitrates and agricultural pollution in Iowa rivers and lakes. He was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for his in-depth and insightful reporting about a lawsuit filed by the drinking water authority serving Des Moines, Iowa against three agricultural drainage districts located in the same watershed as Des Moines. Drinking water proponents claimed farmers in upstream portions of the watershed flowing into the Raccoon River that serves Des Moines are causing dangerous water pollution that must be better regulated.

Cullen has concluded that farm-caused water pollution is seriously impacting many Iowa communities, and that business interests profiting from the sale of fertilizers and other chemicals control farming methodologies in states like Iowa, and that they must play a more responsible role in the protection of natural resources.

For Cullen to win a Pulitzer in the editorial category is highly unlikely, considering the many major newspapers in the country employing editorial writers. Cullen’s journalistic accomplishments, including unmasking the source of funding assistance provided to the legal defense for the three Iowa drainage districts, was noted by the Pulitzer committee.  

The program promises to be highly relevant to agriculture as it is practiced in South Dakota. Cullen is reputed to be an engaging, informed and lively speaker.

The program is co-sponsored by Friends of the Big Sioux River and Augustana University’s Center for Western Studies.  Mr. Cullen will speak at 7 pm on Thursday, September 13^th at Mikkelson Auditorium in the Froiland Science Complex on the Augustana campus.